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Physics 2102
Jonathan Dowling
Physics 2102
Lecture 5
Electric Potential I
Electric potential energy
Electric potential energy of a system is equal to minus the work done by
electrostatic forces when building the system (assuming charges were
initially infinitely separated)
U= - W∞
The change in potential energy between an initial and final configuration
is equal to minus the work done by the electrostatic forces:
DU= Uf - Ui= - W
+Q
• What is the potential energy of a single charge? +Q
a
• What is the potential energy of a dipole?
• A proton moves from point i to point f in a uniform electric
field, as shown.
• Does the electric field do positive or
negative work on the proton?
• Does the electric potential energy of the
proton increase or decrease?
–Q
Electric potential
Electric potential difference between two points = work per
unit charge needed to move a charge between the two points:
DV = Vf–Vi = -W/q = DU/q
dW  F  ds
dW  q0 E  ds
f
f
i
i
W   dW   q0 E  ds
f
W
DV  V f - Vi  -  -  E  ds
q0
i
Electric potential energy,
electric potential
Units : [U] = [W]=Joules;
[V]=[W/q] = Joules/C= Nm/C= Volts
[E]= N/C = Vm
1eV = work needed to move an electron
through a potential difference of 1V:
W=qDV = e x 1V
= 1.60 10–19 C x 1J/C = 1.60 10–19 J
Equipotential surfaces
f
W
DV  V f - Vi  -  -  E  ds
q0
i
Given a charged system, we can:
• draw electric field lines: the electric field is tangent to the field lines
• draw equipotential surfaces: the electric potential is constant on the
surface
• Equipotential surfaces are perpendicular
to electric field lines. Why??
• No work is needed to move a charge
along an equipotential surface. Why??
• Electric field lines always point towards
equipotential surfaces with lower
potential. Why??
Electric field lines and equipotential surfaces
http://www.cco.caltech.edu/~phys1/java/phys1/EField/EField.html
Electric potential and electric
potential energy
The change in potential energy of a charge q moving from point i
to point f is equal to the work done by the applied force, which is
equal to minus the work done by the electric field, which is related
to the difference in electric potential:
DU  U f - U i  Wapp  -W  qDV
We move a proton from point i to point f in
a uniform electric field, as shown.
• Does the electric field do positive or negative work on the
proton?
• Does the electric potential energy of the proton increase or
decrease?
• Does our force do positive or negative work ?
• Does the proton move to a higher or lower potential?
Example
Consider a positive and a negative charge, freely moving in a
uniform electric field. True or false?
(a) Positive charge moves to points with lower potential.
(b) Negative charge moves to points with lower potential.
(c) Positive charge moves to a lower potential energy
position.
(d) Negative charge moves to a lower potential energy
position
(a) True
(b) False
(c) True
(d) True
–Q
+Q
+V
0
–V
Conservative forces
The potential difference between two points is independent of
the path taken to calculate it: electric forces are
“conservative”.
W DU
DV  V f - Vi  - 
 -  E  ds
q0
q0
i
f
Electric Potential of a Point Charge
f
P
i

V  -  E  ds  -  E ds 
R
R
kQ
kQ
kQ
 -  2 dr  

r
r 
R

Note: if Q were a
negative charge,
V would be negative
Electric Potential of Many Point
Charges
• Electric potential is a
SCALAR not a vector.
• Just calculate the potential
due to each individual
point charge, and add
together! (Make sure you
get the SIGNS correct!)
qi
V  k
ri
i
q4
r3
r4
q5
r5
Pr2
q2
r1
q1
q3
Electric potential and electric
potential energy
DU  Wapp  qDV
+Q
What is the potential energy of a dipole?
a
–Q
• First bring charge +Q: no work involved, no potential energy.
• The charge +Q has created an electric potential
everywhere, V(r)= kQ/r
• The work needed to bring the charge –Q to a distance a from the
charge +Q is
Wapp=U = (-Q)V = (–Q)(+kQ/a) = -kQ2/a
• The dipole has a negative potential energy equal to -kQ2/a: we
had to do negative work to build the dipole (and the electric field
did positive work).
Potential Energy of A System of
Charges
• 4 point charges (each +Q and equal
mass) are connected by strings,
forming a square of side L
• If all four strings suddenly snap,
what is the kinetic energy of each
charge when they are very far
apart?
• Use conservation of energy:
– Final kinetic energy of all four charges
= initial potential energy stored =
energy required to assemble the system
of charges
+Q
+Q
+Q
+Q
Do this from scratch!
Potential Energy of A System of
Charges: Solution
L
+Q
• No energy needed to bring
in first charge: U1=0
2L
• Energy needed to bring in
2
kQ
2nd charge: U  QV 
2
1
L
• Energy needed to bring in
3rd charge =
kQ2 kQ 2
U 3  QV  Q(V1  V2 ) 

L
2L
• Energy needed to bring in
4th charge =
2kQ2 kQ 2
U 4  QV  Q(V1  V2  V3 ) 

L
2L
+Q
+Q
+Q
potential energy is sum of
Total
all the individual terms shown
on left hand side = kQ 2
L
4  2 
So, final kinetic energy of each
2
charge = kQ
4L
4  2 
Summary:
• Electric potential: work needed to bring +1C from infinity;
units V = Volt
• Electric potential uniquely defined for every point in space - independent of path!
• Electric potential is a scalar — add contributions from
individual point charges
• We calculated the electric potential produced by a single
charge: V=kq/r, and by continuous charge distributions :
V= kdq/r
• Electric potential energy: work used to build the system,
charge by charge. Use W=qV for each charge.